After 12 games it looked like Houston, the AFC South Division champion, just might be the best team in the NFL. It was 11-1 with its only loss coming in Week 6 to the Green Bay Packers. However, the Texans took a nose-dive at the end of the regular season, losing three of their last four and dropping to the No. 3 playoff seed. That forced them to host a Wild-card game Saturday in which they beat Cincinnati 19-13. It also cost them home-field advantage in this divisional game.

How the Patriots got here

New England’s season arc is basically the exact opposite of Houston’s. The Patriots, the AFC East Division champions, started the season 3-3, including a bad home loss to Arizona. After that, though, they were nearly unstoppable, winning nine of their last 10. That included a 42-14 victory over Houston in Week 14 that started the Texans’ downslide.

Early storyline for the Texans

Houston’s players are all looking back at the Week 14 loss and promising to do better. “I have a lot of respect for them, but we can play ball, too,” Texans running back and San Diego native Arian Foster said after the Cincinnati win. “We didn’t play our best football up there and we hurt ourselves with penalties and mistakes. Anytime you give them opportunities, they’ll take advantage of them. But we’ll play our best up there.” The truth is, with their recent slide and the pounding the Patriots gave them a few weeks ago, few are giving Houston much of a chance.

Early storyline for the Patriots

New England’s biggest question is whether its defense is strong enough to get it back to another Super Bowl. The Patriots enter with the 25th-ranked defense in the NFL, yielding almost 375 yards a game. Houston, on the other hand, is seventh at 323, and Denver, the AFC’s No. 1 seed, is second at 290.8. This is no new dilemma for the Pats. Last season, their defense was even worse and they still made it back to the Super Bowl. That puts a lot of pressure on QB Tom Brady and his offensive teammates, but they’ve shown they can handle it.

Three Texans to watch

• Andre Johnson, WR — Still one of the top five receivers in football, Johnson benefited this year from Houston’s improved ground game and had one of his best years. He finished with 112 catches for 1,598 yards.

• Glover Quin, S — Quin led the team in tackles with 84. Having a safety lead the team in tackles is generally not good, but in this case it is because Quin is aggressive against the run. He also had two interceptions.

• Owen Daniels, TE — On a team with some excellent offensive weapons, Daniels’ performance is often overlooked. He is a good blocking and solid receiving tight end who has become QB Matt Schaub’s safety valve. He had 62 catches for 716 yards and six touchdowns.